How to become a donor: Visit lifegoeson.com, call 800-210-2106, or stop by a driver’s services facility.

How to become an organ and tissue donor

Visit: lifegoeson.com

Call: 800-210-2106

Stop by: A state driver services facility

Myths and misconceptions

Myth: Doctors will not try to save my life if I am on life support and am a registered organ and tissue donor.

Fact: Your doctor has a commitment to you and you only. Donation only occurs after brain death is declared.

Myth: My religion forbids me from donating my organs and tissues.

Fact: Most world religions support their members donating their organs and tissues. It’s viewed as an act of charity and a life-saving measure.

Myth: People with wealth and power will receive a transplant before anyone else.

Fact: The computerized matching system takes the severity of the illness, blood type, amount of time spent waiting, medical information and geographic location to determine who receives a transplant.

Source: lifegoeson.com

ROCKFORD — Bob Jensen was three weeks from dying when he got the call that a possible pancreas and kidney match had been located.

Organ donation saved Jensen’s life. He hopes his story will inspire more people to register as organ donors.

The Rockford resident received a diagnosis of Stage 5 kidney failure in November 2010. Jensen endured dialysis treatments for nearly a year. He couldn’t keep food down and weighed 135 to 140 pounds.

Decades of living with juvenile diabetes had finally caught up with him.

“Things start breaking down no matter how good you are” about your diet, said Jensen, 59.

His doctors already had turned away two sets of donor organs that year, saying they weren’t a good match. And he almost missed an opportunity when doctors called about a third possible match.

He was listening to a band play when he missed two calls from doctors at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. The band took a break during their set, though, and that gave him a chance to listen to his voice mail.

Seven minutes later, and they would have moved on to the next name on the donor list.

Jensen and his now-wife, Jolyn, rushed to the hospital that night so his medical team could perform the nine-hour surgery. He would receive the pancreas and kidney from 23-year-old April Lucas, of Michigan, who had died of an aneurysm hours before.

When he awoke after the operation, he wept.

It was at that moment Jensen knew that his life would change forever. No more wondering if a match would ever be found. No more wondering whether he would lose his ability to walk or see.

“I respect what she’s given me,” Jensen said. “You want her legacy to live on with you. You don’t want to be reckless with the gift of life.”

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White hopes Jensen’s story will encourage others to be heroes and register on the state’s organ and tissue donor list. He will speak at 1 p.m. Friday at Rock Valley College about the need for more donors.

“Every time you sign up one person it could have an impact on the lives of 25 individuals,” White said.

The statewide public awareness program “Life Goes On” started in 1994 to educate Illinois residents about the need to register to become an organ and tissue donor. Effective Jan. 1, 2006, people older than 18 do not need a family member’s consent to be placed on the registry.

Page 2 of 2 - White said that more than 5.5 million Illinois residents have joined the state’s Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. However, more than 5,000 people are waiting for a transplant, and about 300 people die waiting each year.

White said he knows all too well what it’s like to offer and receive the gift of life.

When his brother died from an aneurysm, he didn’t know just how many people were waiting for transplants. He learned later when his sister received a kidney transplant.

“Many times you think of someone who has helped extricate someone from a car crash as a hero, but I have some (other types of heroes) that have had an impact on my life,” White said.